1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the shipping of articles in a container, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to an improved apparatus and method of shipping and transporting preformed flower pot covers.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Decorative covers for flower pots have been used for many years to accentuate or complement the aesthetic appearance of a floral grouping disposed in the flower pot. Such decorative covers are often preformed flower pot covers made by forming a flexible sheet of material into a shape adapted to receive the flower pot.
In the process of forming the sheet of material into the flower pot cover, a plurality of overlapping folds are formed in the material. The overlapping folds cooperate to form a base portion which provides structural strength to keep the preformed shape of the flower pot cover. In addition, flower pot covers are often formed to have a skirt portion which is designed to extend beyond the upper end of the flower pot and functions to cover the soil and the lower portion or stem portion of a floral grouping which can be unattractive and thus draw away from the attractiveness of the combination of the blooms of the floral grouping and the flower pot cover.
To ship flower pot covers after the forming process, a plurality of the preformed flower pot covers are typically stacked or nested relative to one another and the stack is placed in a cardboard box which is then closed and sealed. While the use of cardboard boxes have been widely accepted in the packaging and shipping of preformed flower pot covers, they are not without disadvantages.
For reasons of economy and efficiency, a large number of flower pot covers are stacked together and placed in a container for shipping. However, the base portion of the flower pot covers near the bottom of the stack become stretched and deformed from the weight of the remainder of the stack. The deformed flower pot covers are unattractive and do not properly form about the flower pot.
Also, shipping containers are frequently subjected to abuse during transport which disrupts the contents. When the stack of flower pot covers within the container shifts about the interior of the container, the skirt portion of the flower pot covers become matted and deformed while resting against one side of the shipping container. Flower pot covers with a deformed base and skirt are either repaired or discarded.
To this end, an apparatus and method of packaging preformed flower pot covers is needed that permits easy transport of a large quantity of flower pot covers while overcoming the disadvantages mentioned above. It is to such an apparatus and method that the present invention is directed.
The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method for shipping a plurality of preformed flower pot covers. Each preformed flower pot cover includes a base formed into a shape sized to receive a flower pot. The preformed flower pot cover includes the base having an opened upper end, a closed lower end, an object opening extending through the upper end, and a decorative skirt which extends angularly upwardly and outwardly from the upper end of the base. The apparatus includes a container provided with a top, a bottom, and a plurality of sidewalls cooperating to define an inner packing compartment. The apparatus includes at least a first stacking shell configured to receive the base of the preformed flower pot cover. The first stacking shell is disposed within the inner packing compartment and extends from the bottom of the container upwardly into the inner packing compartment. Additionally, the apparatus may further include a second stacking shell configured to be received in the object opening of the base of the preformed flower pot cover. The second stacking shell is disposed within the inner packing compartment and extends from the top of the container.
The features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and appended claims.